- Oplegnathidae
-
Knifejaws
Temporal range: Early Miocene to Present[1]
Oplegnathus fasciatus Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Perciformes Family: Oplegnathidae Genus: Oplegnathus
Richardson, 1840Species See text.
Oplegnathidae is a family of marine fish within the Perciformes commonly known as knifejaws; some species are known as beakfish. It contains a single genus, Oplegnathus. The largest, the Cape knifejaw, can reach a maximum length of about 90 cm (35 in). Knifejaws have teeth fused into a parrotlike beak in adulthood. They feed on barnacles and mollusks, and are fished commercially. They are found in the north-western Pacific Ocean (e.g. Japan), in the southern half of Australia, in the Galapagos, Peru, and Chile, and in Southern Africa.
Species
- Cape knifejaw, Oplegnathus conwayi Richardson, 1840
- Striped beakfish, Oplegnathus fasciatus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1844)
- Pacific beakfish, Oplegnathus insignis (Kner, 1867)
- Mozambique knifejaw, Oplegnathus peaolopesi Smith, 1947
- Spotted knifejaw, Oplegnathus punctatus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1844)
- Natal knifejaw, Oplegnathus robinsoni Regan, 1916
- Knifejaw, Oplegnathus woodwardi Waite, 1900
References
- ^ Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology 364: p.560. http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ITIS: Oplegnathidae, accessed August 24, 2006
- FishBase: Family Oplegnathidae - Knifejaws, accessed August 24, 2006
- Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). Species of Oplegnathus in FishBase. June 2006 version.
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